Favorite Things Friday

Happy Friday! 

I haven't done one of these in a few weeks, sometimes life just gets in the way, but I think that's okay. There's been some really cool stuff floating around the internet the past few weeks and I'm excited to share them with you all! Just click on the links to be taken to the original source.

Favorite Wall Calendar

At Home with Jen Lula -A Beautiful Mess

I've seen many different ways that chalkboard paint is incorporated into kitchens, but I think this might be my favorite. This is much better than a calendar with pictures of puppies or places you'll never visit that you just throw away at the end of the year. It's just so fun and practical!

Favorite Salsa

Perfect Grilled Corn Salsa -Minimalist Baker

Okay, maybe not my absolute favorite salsa. Anyone who knows me knows my heart will always belong to Newman's Own Pineapple Salsa (I may have polished off a whole jar in a day more than once in my life), but this has got to be up there as one of the tastiest salsas I've ever eaten. It's also great with black beans mixed in or throw in some quinoa as well and you've got yourself a tasty meal! 

Favorite Grilled Salad

Grilled Romaine Salad- Edible Perspective

Yes, I said grilled salad. Everything in this salad is grilled, even the romaine. How creative is that? And you can't tell me this doesn't look delicious, I won't believe you. We'll just add this salad to the long list of reasons why I need to find myself a grill this summer. 

Favorite Recipe I Almost Posting The Same Day She Posted This, But Didn't Post Mine Because I Didn't Want to Be a Cheater

Strawberry Coconut Cream Cakes -Oh, Ladycakes

Yes, that's totally a category. Remember the other day when I was talking about making the oatmeal cream sandwich cookies? Well, when I had woken up that morning I was planning on making a recipe very similar to this one, but then I logged onto Bloglovin' and saw that Ashlae had beaten me to it and it felt wrong to post a similar recipe like I was breaking some kind of blogger code or something. Anyway, this looks absolutely delicious. How can you go wrong with strawberries and coconut? You can't. 

Favorite Mustard

Sweet & Spicy Mango Mustard- The Little Foxes

I love sweet. I love spicy. I love mangoes. So this dipping sauce sounds like I sure winner to me. Plain and simple.

Favorite New Documentary

Blackfish

Not to get all serious on you guys or to be a total downer, but I was so psyched when a friend had posted this trailer on Facebook this morning. If you haven't heard of this movie, it's about the killer whale Tilikum who was responsible for the deaths of three trainers including the one back in 2010 at Seaworld. It exposes the cruel life that these majestic creatures are subject to. We see how they are captured and forced to live in confined spaces sometimes as small as twenty feet! Orcas kill great white sharks out in the wild, it should come as no surprise to us that they kill people when forced to live their lives in tiny pools. I think the idea of being able to see the creatures up close at parks like Seaworld is great, but practically speaking it is horrible for the animals. I've felt strongly about this for a long time and after spending time swimming with dolphins out in the wild and seeing whales in their natural habitat it has only made me more passionate. Starting next month they'll be showing this documentary in select locations around the country, you can find those showings here, it also gives you the sign up to be notified when the movie does come to your area. To find out more about the movie, check out the official website. Okay, rant over.

Favorite Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream

Vanilla Peanut Butter Chunk + Chocolate Crunch Ice Cream -Edible Perspective

I realize I already posted one of Ashley's recipes today, but what can I say? The girl was on fire this week. I mean just look at that ice cream! The best part? It's vegan! Normally I'm not a fan of chocolate peanut butter ice cream, it's always too rich or just too much somehow, but this. This looks like the perfect use of the two flavors. Chunks of peanut butter and swirls of chocolate set against a backdrop of vanilla bean ice cream. Yep, that's what I'm talking about.

Well, I hoped you guys enjoyed this week's edition. Hopefully you found a new favorite blog or a recipe to try or a movie to see because, well, that's what these posts are all about!

What do you have planned for this weekend?

Favorite Things Friday.

Happy Friday Everyone!

It's time for another round of Favorite Things Friday. There's some pretty great stuff floating around the blogosphere this week, but I think my absolute favorite thing this week has been this amazing weather! I've loved waking up to sunshine and the smell of summer wafting in through the open windows, planting an herb garden, going for long walks, reading in the grass and drinking iced tea... it's a beautiful thing.

Alright, so let's get to it!

Just click the link in italics to get to the original blog where I found the favorite thing.

Favorite Sauce
Creamy Cauliflower Alfredo -The Detoxinista

I've been wanting to try making alfredo sauce out of cauliflower, but have yet to find the right recipe. I think this might be it. I definitely want to try it with some nutritional yeast for a cheesier flavor. I'll let you know how it turns out!

Favorite Photos

Honey & Jam

I always love seeing updates on Hannah's blog. Her photos are breath-taking and make me think I can just walk through my computer screen into the scene of her picture. Plus the fact that she shares wonderfully rustic recipes is just an added bonus!

Favorite New Blog

Dishing Up the Dirt

When comments are left on my blog, I like to go and check out the blog of the person who commented and that is exactly how I discovered this blog. (Wow, I feel like I just said the word 'blog' a lot...it's starting to sound weird now....anyway) Andrea is positively adorable! She blogs about her farm life in Oregon and shares mouth-watering recipes from the produce they harvest. I love it! Be sure to check it out!

Favorite Post

To Women- The Flowerchild Dwelling

In this post Kelly Ann talks about feminism and what that actually means. It's a note of encouragement to women everywhere in all walks of life. She is much more eloquent than I am, so I will just leave my description at that and encourage you to take a few moments and read her post.

Favorite Snack

Carrots Sticks and Lazy Guac

I've talked about my love for avocados before and this is one of my favorite ways to enjoy them. Have you ever had carrot sticks and guacamole? Not only is it healthier than the chip alternative it's also super tasty! But let's be honest, some days I'm just too lazy to get out the cutting board and chop up the onions and tomatoes or I'm all out of garlic or limes. That's where this lazy guac comes in- that's right it's so lazy you don't even say the whole word. All you do is mash one small (or half of a large) avocado in a bowl using a fork. Add in some sea salt, fresh ground pepper, garlic powder and cayenne pepper and voila! Lazy guac! Add some carrot sticks and you've got yourself a tasty and nutritious snack.

Favorite Way to Eat a Sweet Potato

Samosa Stuffed Sweet Potato-Culinary Colleen via Oh My Veggies

This recipe immediately caught my eye. I love sweet potatoes and I love samosas so when I saw these listed on Kiersten's blog this morning I knew I had to save the recipe to try them later. And try them later I will!

Favorite Way to Eat Spring Rolls

Spring Roll in a Bowl- Joy the Baker

I love spring rolls, but I've never taken the time to make them myself (I think we already established I can be pretty lazy with the whole guac thing). So Joy's recipe sounds perfect! You can be guaranteed I will be enjoying this dish this summer... probably a lot.

Favorite New Canadian Dessert

A Better Butter Tart- My New Roots

Have you ever heard of butter tarts? Apparently, they're a Canadian thing. All I know is this reconstructed version sounds amazing! Sarah is brilliant in the kitchen and these tarts are no exception. I definitely want to try the coconut oil version of these! 

Alright, that's it for me this week. I hope you've enjoyed another week of my favorite things. Come back next week to see what new delights I come across. Have a great weekend!

What are some of your favorite things this week?

Favorite Things Friday.

Happy Friday Everyone! Welcome to my second Favorite Things Friday where I share some of the awesome stuff I've been loving around the blogosphere and in life. 

Favorite Raw Dish

Raw Pad Thai -The Sweet Life

I love Pad Thai! And this raw version looks delicious! It's full of veggies, bursting with flavor and couldn't be simpler to make. Definitely planning on making it soon!

Favorite Breakfast

Tropical Pineapple Boozy Baked Oatmeal -Oh She Glows

Couldn't get a picture of this one, but you guys should head over there and check it out. It looks so good! Pineapple, banana, coconut, oatmeal, coconut rum....do I need to go on?

Favorite Earth Friendly Post

75 Ways to Live More Sustainably in 2013 -Sustainable Kentucky

Favorite Quick & Easy Dinner 

Rising Moon Organics Ravioli

I'm always experimenting in the kitchen, but every once in awhile it's nice to have something I can just pull out of my freezer and cook in less than 10 minutes. I have tried a few of the different Rising Moon flavors and they've all been great! Finding organic and vegan ravioli is no easy task, but you should be able to find this brand at Whole Foods or your local natural grocery store. This butternut squash flavor is one of my favorites; I ate it with tomato sauce and blanched kale for an easy, healthy meal.

Favorite Comeback

The Flowerchild Dwelling

I almost did a double take when I saw there was a new blog post from The Flowerchild Dwelling this week. Kelly Ann has been taking a break for the past few months, but I am so excited she's back! Her blog always features beautiful photos, awesome music and insightful musings on life. 

Favorite Salad

I have been eating a variation of this salad everyday this week, no exaggeration. I just chop up some tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, green onion and avocado and throw it over a bed of spinach. Sprinkle on some sliced almonds and top it with pomegranate balsamic vinaigrette. Some days I added shredded carrots. When I ran out of almonds I used raw sunflower seeds. One day I massaged the avocado into some kale and used that as my bed of greens. Last night I mixed all the veggies (plus green pepper and red onion) in with some quinoa and kale, then mixed in some salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and lime juice. I swear I could eat these veggies everyday for the rest of my life.    

Favorite Blog Post

{Guest Post} Foods that Should be Eaten Raw -This Rawesome Vegan Life

This was a guest post written by Joyce Del Rosario listing eight foods that should be eaten raw in order to obtain optimum nutritional value. It was an interesting read as she briefly described the particular health benefits of each food. Em (writer of This Rawesome Vegan Life) also included recipes that contain these foods, just click on the pictures.

I think that's all for today. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and come back next week for some more great finds. 

What are you loving this week?

Favorite Things Friday.

First off I want to apologize for my absence this week. I don't know how many people actually read this blog on a regular enough basis, but for those of you who noticed (and expressed concern) I apologize. Creating this blog is something I've wanted to do for awhile and it amazes me that people actually want to read it. So thank you for caring, it really means a lot. 

This week has been all out of whack. I've been working day shifts, which means I'm working when I'm usually blogging and hanging out with people when I'm usually working and fitting school work in between. Not to mention Monday we got hit with a heat wave so I spent the entire day in the park because I knew snow would be coming again on Wednesday. Seriously, I got slightly sun burnt on Monday laying out in the park in shorts and a tank top and then we were hit with a snow storm two days later. Colorado is crazy.

Plus my computer is nearing the end of its life. This picture does not do it justice. The screen is connected to the keyboard merely by wires and it no longer holds itself up (it's currently propped up against a vase of lemons). And yes, it is held together by packing tape. This week I just was not feeling very motivated to blog and when your computer is as slow as molasses it doesn't exactly help (I've already yelled at it four times writing this post). Keep for fingers crossed that it holds out awhile longer because it'll take me a little while to save the money for a new computer. No computer = no blogging.

Anyway, on to the main event. I want to start a new feature on For the Love of Leaves that highlights some of my favorite things from the week. A chance for me to show-off some of the awesome blogs I read during the week or whatever else strikes my fancy. Does that sound good to you? I hope so 'cause I'm doing it anyway!

Favorite Idea.

Friday Favorites -Iowa Girl Eats

Unfortunately Kristin is doing some work on her blog this morning so I couldn't snag a picture, but I love her idea of sharing her favorite things from the week. So yes, this idea was totally stolen from her. Go check out her blog, it's full of tasty recipes! Even though I don't eat a lot of the food she does, her posts are fun to read and I find I can alter many of her recipes to my liking. 

Favorite Blog.

This Rawsome Vegan Life

I mentioned Em and her blog in my last post. She comes up with the tastiest looking recipes accompanied by drool-worthy photos and a goofy sense of humor. Plus since her desserts are made with raw, wholesome ingredients you can enjoy them without feeling guilty about it. Getting vital nutrients while eating dessert? Yes, please!

Favorite Day of the Week.

Sunday

(I apologize this picture is out of focus). 

Every Sunday night Molly and I have dinner with four of our friends. We cooked dinner for everyone our first Sunday night here and a tradition was instantly born. We have since  kept it to homemade pizza, salad and beer out of simplicity, but it's the highlight of our week nonetheless. This past weekend we were able to enjoy dinner outside! Molly made the pizzas and I made coconut milk ice cream with brownie chunks topped with fresh blackberries for dessert- so good! This week we're thinking about switching it up and making fish tacos and margaritas since it'll be Cinco de Mayo!

Favorite Song.

Mirrors -Justin Timberlake

Laugh all you want, but I cannot stop listening to this song. I recognize the fact that it's nothing brilliant, but what can I say? I hear Justin's voice and the twelve-year-old girl in me comes out. His little dance at the end of this video is ridiculous, I can't take it seriously, but I can't help but love the guy anyway.

Favorite blog post.

3 Reasons Not to Take Life Too Seriously -My Little Celebration

I'm a huge fan of Dana. You may recognize her and her husband John from their blog Minimalist Baker (another one of my favorite blogs).This post was full of wise words that I needed to hear this week. I would summarize it, but you should really just head over there and read it for yourself.

Favorite Snack.

Frozen Grapes

I cannot remember who introduced me to them or where I was the first time I tried frozen grapes, but I do know it was life-changing. I realize that sounds slightly dramatic, but for someone who more times than not craves something sweet, cold and juicy at the end of the day this is a game-changer. They're usually my go-to movie snack. It's perfect if you're the type of person who enjoys popping something in your mouth (like buttery popcorn or chips) and the texture is great for satisfying that craving for ice cream. And it couldn't be easier! Buy grapes. Freeze grapes. Eat grapes.

Okay, I think that's all for this week's edition, come back next week to find out what other cool stuff I've come across. And I'll be back either later today or tomorrow with another recipe. For now, I've got some grocery shopping to do!

Happy Friday!

What are some of your favorite things this week?